Dreadful Fashionable
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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “DREADFUL FASHIONABLE”: THE WORK OF MARY ANNE WARRINER, RHODE ISLAND MILLINER 1835-1841 by Melinda Grace Talbot A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Master of Arts with a major in Early American Culture Spring 1999 ©1999 Melinda Grace Talbot All Rights Reserved Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI N um ber: 1396007 UMI Microform 1396007 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. “DREADFUL FASHIONABLE”: THE WORK OF MARY ANNE WARRINER, RHODE ISLAND MILLINER 1835-1841 by Melinda Grace Talbot Approved: n±$3L> d „ Marguerite A. A. Connolly, Connolly, Ph.D. (jMarguerite Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: t . Curtis, Ph.D. or of the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture Approved: Cavanaugh, Ph.D. Provost for Academic Prognfifhs and Planning Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people helped me with this thesis from beginning to end. I owe my gratitude to Marguerite Connolly, under whose guidance this study was conducted, for her encouragement, unflagging enthusiasm, and careful editing of my work. I would also like to thank Charlie Hummel, whose class “The Colonial American Craftsman” inspired me to study an artisan and her work. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study at Winterthur, where everyone has been wonderfully supportive of my work. I would like to thank the entire library staff in particular for their help with my research and photography. I gratefully acknowledge curators at several museums who allowed me to view collection objects, including Lynne Bassett at Old Sturbridge Village, Linda Baumgarten at Colonial Williamsburg, Nancy Gedraitis at the Plymouth Antiquarian Society, and Susan Hay at the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design. Several scholars also gave me much-appreciated assistance, including Linda Eppich, Wendy Gamber, Nancy Rexford, Joan Severa, and Amy Simon. Finally I would like to thank my parents, sister, and grandparents for their love and support. This work is dedicated to them. m Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................. v ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................1 2 FAMILY AND COMMUNITY..............................................................................13 3 THE MILLINERY BUSINESS.............................................................................. 30 4 THE BONNETS .....................................................................................................60 5 TASTE AND FASHION .........................................................................................74 6 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................96 FIGURES............................................................................................................................98 BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................118 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES 1. Spine of Mary Anne Warriner’s daybook labeled “WEAVE BOOK.”....................98 2. Pages from Maiy Anne Warriner’s daybook........................................................... 99 3. Pin and needle found between the pages of Mary Anne Warriner’s daybook....................................................................................................................100 4. Print depicting a milliner’s shop, 1836 .....................................................................101 5. Paper printed with “Conrad C. Ellery, DRY GOODS DEALER, 6, Arcade, Providence” and folded with a scrap of silk fabric, found between the pages of Mary Anne Warriner’s daybook..........................................102 b. Godey's Lady’s Book fashion plate showing bonnets for March, 1836 ................ 103 7. Godey’s Lady’s Book fashion plate showing bonnets for February, 1839............ 104 8. Godey’s Lady’s Book fashion plate showing bonnets for June, 1840.................. 105 9. Straw bonnet, c. 1838..............................................................................................106 10. Inside of straw bonnet, c. 1838.............................................................................. 107 11. Straw bonnet, c. 1845..............................................................................................108 12. Scraps of buckram found between the pages of Mary Anne Warriner’s daybook................................................................................................ 109 13. Silk bonnet, c. 1840................................................................................................ 110 14. Inside of silk bonnet, c. 1840.................................................... I ll 15. Detail of a Godey’s Lady’s Book fashion plate showing a silk drawn bonnet for April, 1839.......................................................................................... 112 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16. Silk drawn bonnet, c. 1840.......................................................................................113 17. Straw bonnet trimmed with artificial flowers, c. 1840........................................... 114 18. Daguerreotype of milliner Mrs. R. B. Dickinson of Northampton, Massachusetts, 1846.............................................................................................. 115 19. Color plate illustrating how to best adapt dress to suita woman’s features..................................................................................................................... 116 20. Mourning bonnet, c. 1840........................................................................................ 117 vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT From 1835 to 1841, Mary Anne Warriner (1794-1849), a widowed milliner of Warwick, Rhode Island, recorded orders as well as local events in her daybook. The document provides a wealth of information about the production and consumption of women’s dress in an early industrial community. This study explores Mary Anne Warriner’s work, including her role as a businesswoman, arbiter of taste, and agent of fashion, as well as the goods she produced and services she provided. The daybook contributes to an understanding of the role of women, fashion, and work in an early industrial community. Other period sources such as fashion illustrations, prescriptive